Lonely Planet’s experts have trekked the globe to select the best cities, regions and countries to visit in 2015. Explore them now and plan your next adventure.

The results are in. Lonely Planet’s experts have decided on the best cities to visit this year. Some are criminally underrated, others are popping the champagne for special events, but these cities are all unmissable in 2015.

Top 10 regions

Regions offer something deliciously different to their surrounding country – it might be an area with remarkable scenery, a pocket of distinctive culture, or land tied to a long history. Here are Lonely Planet’s 10 best regions to explore in 2015.

Top 10 countries

Our line-up of countries hitting their stride, celebrating anniversaries or begging to be discovered is guaranteed to have you reaching for your passport. Feast your eyes on Lonely Planet’s top 10 countries for 2015.

USA

Washington is one of the world’s best museum and monument cities, with the Smithsonian as a top draw. And since 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, many artifacts including the famous top hat of America's 16th president and the pistol that fired the deadly shot will be on display. That’s not all: mixed-use development projects are in the works, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial has opened, there’s a vibrant gay scene and incredible ethnic eats.

#2

Argentina

While this town is towered over by the jagged 3405m Monte Fitz Roy and ice-rimmed Cerro Torre (3102m), its barrios include the 726,927 hectares of pristine World Heritage glaciers, peaks, lakes, forests and waterfalls of the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. Throw in the second-largest chunk of ice outside polar regions, the wild and mysterious Hielos Sur (Southern Patagonian Ice Field), and it’s no wonder Chaltén has quickly become Argentina’s trekking capital. And 2015 is its 30th birthday.

#3

Italy

Milan is a city of lavish wealth and almost frightening elegance. But in 2015, Italy’s second-largest city will welcome all kinds of travellers. Expo 2015 – the latest of the world fairs held since the mid 1800s – will take place between May and October with a focus on food. The 1.1 million sq metre fairgrounds will be laid out like a classical Roman city. Explore the ‘future food district’, watch cooking demos, wander a plaza full of street musicians, or indulge in nighttime wine-tastings.

#4

Switzerland

Intrepid hikers, mountaineers and ski fiends drool over the Matterhorn that rises above Zermatt. In 2015 this diva of resorts celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first ascent. Edward Whymper led his party of seven to the summit of the 4478m-high Matterhorn on 14 July 1865 – only for four to crash to their deaths on descent. Anniversary action includes the opening of Hörnli Hut at the base of the Matterhorn and nail-biting theatre recreating Whymper’s journey on Zermatt’s open-air stage.

#5

Malta

Valletta has had an architectural overhaul, introducing Renzo Piano’s new gateway to the city, his parliament building faced with laser-cut stonework and an open-air auditorium. Valletta’s unspoilt 17th-century buildings line a beautifully laid-out grid of streets. The contrast between old and new is what makes the new additions all the more startling. This year the city will also commemorate 450 years since the Great Siege, with remembrance particularly strong on 8 September, Victory Day.

#6

Bulgaria

One of Europe’s most beautiful Old Towns, a backdrop of the Rhodope Mountains, historical treasures, smouldering nightlife. There’s a wealth of reasons to explore Plovdiv, but recent decades have polished Bulgaria’s second city. Its remarkable ruins (including a Roman theatre in the centre of the shopping precinct) were slowly excavated throughout the 1970s and ’80s. And throughout the 2000s, heritage buildings left to gather dust have been lovingly restored into museums, restaurants and hotels.

#7

United Kingdom

For too long travellers have considered Salisbury a short stop on the way to Stonehenge. But 2015 is set to be the year visitors linger in this quintessentially English city, as Salisbury uncorks the champagne for the 800th anniversary of its greatest treasure, the Magna Carta. As home to the best-preserved original copy, Salisbury Cathedral is the lightning rod for the celebrations. Expect a brand new exhibition alongside an array of talks, evensongs, a flower festival and plenty more.

#8

Austria

In 1865 Emperor Franz Josef got cracking on his architectural tour de force: the Ringstrasse. The ‘Ring’ stitched together trophy sights from the Rathaus to the Staatsoper. 150 years later, a line-up of special events and exhibitions is cranking up the celebratory feel – not to mention this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Forget compromises – this is a city where you can go clubbing in your dirndl, talk opera at the sausage stand and live out your very own 21st-century fairytale.

#9

India

Chennai has long been seen as a stepping-stone to other parts of India. But with the opening of the Chennai Metro Rail, the capital of India’s south plans to raise its profile. If nothing else, fast and frequent air-conditioned trains will transform the experience of exploring this humid metropolis. And there’s plenty to see: statue-covered Dravidian temples, fascinating museums, British-era fortifications and churches, a 3km-long beach, and India’s second-largest movie industry, ‘Kollywood’.

#10

Canada

This multicultural megalopolis promises to be extra vibrant in 2015. An estimated 250,000 visitors will arrive for the Pan American Games. Public works projects have advanced, including the Union Pearson Express train, which will whizz passengers from Toronto’s airport to downtown in 25 minutes. 2015 will be another massive year for Toronto’s drool-worthy restaurant scene. And the influences of nearby New York and Montreal keep things cutting-edge, with live music thriving in grassroots bars.

#1

Turkey

Close to the ancient city of Troy and on the northwestern side of the Dardanelles Strait, this slender peninsula has seen more than its fair share of invasions. The most recent was the Allied naval attack on the Dardanelles in March 1915 and the landings of Allied troops on the peninsula on 25 April 1915. This year Australians and New Zealanders are expected to arrive in their thousands to commemorate the involvement of Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) troops in the landing.

#2

USA

These snowy peaks and mountain lakes define the glory of the American West. Here you’ll find herds of grazing elk, rivers teeming with trout, high-altitude fir forests and 355 miles of hiking trails. In 2015, Rocky Mountain celebrates its 100th anniversary. Expect special speakers, community events, art exhibitions, concerts of mountain-themed songs and a parade of vintage Ford Model Ts along the park’s highway. So join in the patriotic fun in one of America’s most thrilling national parks.

#3

Belize

Toledo is still the province of adventure travellers but its days as a backwater are coming to a close. An $8 million asphalt road continues to be built from the Southern Highway towards the border of Guatemala – when completed, it will form part of the Pan-American Highway. Once the road reaches the tiny village of Jalacte, Belize’s third (and Toledo’s only) international land border crossing will open, connecting Toledo’s tiny Maya villages with neighbouring Guatemala and the world beyond.

#4

Australia

Tasmania was home to some of the first convict ships to land in Australia, and the haunting tales of those arrivals permeate the state. The island state already contains a lifetime’s worth of adventures but in 2015 the second stretch of the Three Capes Track will open. The second stage of Tasmania’s coastal bushwalking experience will link Denmans Cove, opposite Port Arthur, with Cape Hauy, via 35km of redeveloped walking track taking in the stunning sea cliffs of Tasman National Park.

#5

Norway

Northern Norway is always light fantastic. But note 20 March in your diary: all light will disappear for a couple of minutes when the moon blocks out the sun. And the place to witness this celestial event is Svalbard, midway between Norway and the North Pole, where polar bears outnumber people. Speaking of light, the high activity of the aurora borealis will continue in 2015; watch as the polar sky illuminates when solar winds interact with charged particles in the earth’s magnetic field.

#6

Nepal

Everest is a classic journey following the footsteps of Tenzing and Hillary into the planet’s most jaw-dropping mountain arena, home to the world’s highest peak. With Nepal’s Maoist uprising firmly behind it, trekkers are rediscovering the region’s remoter trails. Try the high-altitude Three Passes trek or adventurous Mera Peak expedition. And since 2015 marks a half-century since Major Jimmy Roberts organised the first commercial trek in Nepal, it might be time to dust off those trekking boots.

#7

Mexico

Traditionally, visitors approached the canyons via the classic but time-consuming Ferrocarril Chihuahua Pacifíco rail route. Now travellers can get the ‘wow’ without the ‘ow’. New activities for 2015 will include a far-off-road running trip with the indigenous Tarahumara people and biking down the newly paved road to Batopilas, a town in the tropical canyon valleys. Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre is adding a brace of highs: the world’s longest zip line and a slingshot ride.

#8

Indonesia

Start with the dragons and end with picture-perfect beaches, in between diving, tropical forests and smoking volcanoes. Now with newly improved airports and better roads, Flores offers great overland adventure. In the west, Labuanbajo is a laid-back port town made for travellers. Komodo National Park is home to the namesake lizards, Rinca has had a major revamp, and heading east there are new tourist offices, cafes and guesthouses in towns and small cities such as Bajawa and Moni.

#9

Chile

The Atacama gripped the world’s attention in 2010 when a collapsed mine trapped 33 Chilean miners underground. After their rescue, Hollywood filmed adventure flick The 33. The subterranean drama set the stage for developments in the opposite space – the clear skies above the sun-parched desert. Chile has launched the largest astronomical project in existence. With astronomer-led stargazing tours leaving nightly from the village of San Pedro de Atacama, there’s never been a better time to visit.

#10

China

Macau has grown into a mélange of new world glamour and old world grit. Its Portuguese heritage has created a fusion cuisine that combines European, African, Indian and Chinese elements. Where else can you make an incense offering at an ancient Chinese Buddhist temple, take the world’s highest bungee jump, have a Michelin-star meal and a street food midnight snack? And with a new light rail system in the works, plus a slew of new casinos under construction, 2015 promises to be a banner year.

Singapore has an extra reason to party in 2015: it’s her Golden Jubilee. Since sealing its independence in 1965, Singapore’s heritage buildings, hawker centres, green spaces and shopping malls have lured travellers, but new developments have elevated the experience. First there’s Marina Bay, a new entertainment precinct, then there’s the new crop of swanky hotels, new attractions like the National Art Gallery and the Singapore Sports Hub, and more than a dozen metro extensions in development.

The sands of Namibia turn silver this year as the country celebrates its 25th anniversary of independence. The country has made ground-breaking progress in sustainable development: the first African country to include protection of its environment within its constitution, Namibia empowers local communities to contribute. With stories of habitat loss elsewhere in Africa dominating the news, word of Namibia’s conservation successes hasn’t gained traction. Explore it before you have to share it.

As of 1 January 2015, Lithuania will be the newest member of the eurozone, the final step in its journey from reluctant Soviet republic to fully fledged European nation. Travelling in Lithuania is going to get easier when it comes to electronic payments and finding an ATM. And why visit? The Curonian Spit is one long line of gorgeous beaches, backed by Europe’s largest moving sand dunes. Then there’s Vilnius’ baroque old town, which earned Lithuania one of its entries on the World Heritage list.

Despite the draws of Nicaragua’s quaint colonial (albeit bullet-holed) towns, riotous folkloric fiestas and enchanting Caribbean islands, the stigma of its war-torn past has kept the wider travel community at bay. Then came Mukul, the nation’s first fully fledged five-star resort, followed by Yemaya Island Hideaway and Spa. Nicaragua has now garnered a name as an emerging luxury ecotourism destination, and foodies are raving about the restaurants morphing Managua into a culinary capital.

There’s a whole lot of love for the old country, which carries a burden of expectation skewed towards the sheep-on-the-road, thatched-roof image – slightly at odds with the modern Ireland of motorways and macchiatos. Ireland is stunningly scenic, its traditions – music, dance, whiskey and beer – firmly intact. And this year is the year of the Wild Atlantic Way, a 2500km scenic drive that snakes its way round every nook and crook of the western seaboard from Donegal to Cork.

The Congo (not to be confused with neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo) stands on the cusp of a new era. It’s got oil, it’s got timber, it’s got an expanding infrastructure and after turbulent years it’s finally safe and stable. Right now foreign tourists are as rare as an albino gorilla, but the Congolese government has set to work rehabilitating old national parks, establishing new ones and updating tourism infrastructure. For those ready to heed the call of the wild, the Congo awaits.

This astonishingly inexpensive country is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. But get in quick: the genre-jumping Exit Festival – annexing a medieval fortress in Novi Sad each July since it began as an anti-Milošević protest – was awarded the Best Major European Festival title. Belgrade is being mentioned in the same panting breaths as Berlin and Ibiza. And Serbia’s killer skiing, spa-hopping and Drina River rafting are luring thrillseekers away from pricey playgrounds in ‘the other Europe’.

The Philippines 7100+ islands have dive-tastic coral reefs, sunbathe-ready white sands, swaying palm trees and nipa-palm thatched huts. Plus in 2015 the government is laying on all sorts of special events to raise the profile of the archipelago. And if there’s one thing Filipinos know how to do, it’s party – expect street parades, food festivals, sports tournaments and live music. Now that Philippine Airlines has gained approval for direct flights to Europe, America and Australia, why wait?

Developments such as budget flights are certainly bringing Morocco’s surf beaches, mountain valleys and palm groves closer to Europe. None of the country’s Maghrebi mystique is gone, but travellers can now explore the stirring landscapes and Berber culture in comfort and style. And anyone visiting in 2015 will see the city of Fez come into its own, as a host of glamorous, high-end openings have brought it a new level of sophistication.